Wild Portugal: Birds, Alpine Flora & Prehistoric Art Naturetrek Tour Report 22 – 29 July 2015 View from the Serra Da Estrela View from Castelo Rodrigo Report compiled by Philip Thompson Images by Tom Mabbett Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Wild Portugal: Birds, Alpine Flora & Prehistoric Art Tour Report Tour Participants: Philip Thompson and Laura Benito (leaders) with 10 Naturetrek clients Day 1 Wednesday 22nd July The group arrived on time into Porto Airport, and soon our vehicles were loaded and we were on the road, heading for our first hotel in Castelo Rodrigo. Few birds were seen in the early stages of the journey as we sped along the good motorways. Once we had turned off onto minor roads for the final leg of the journey we began to see a few raptors and shrikes. We stopped at a suitable pull in for a light lunch and to acclimatise to the hot dry conditions. Moving on, we were soon climbing towards the hilltop town of Castelo Rodrigo with its ruined castle on the summit. Our hotel was located within the old town just below the castle, where we were soon allocated rooms for our stay. Day 2 Thursday 23rd July Today we headed north to explore the Douro valley. En route we stopped at a roadside viewpoint which was opposite some cliffs where a small colony of Griffon Vultures breed. A couple of birds were seen below us settled on the grassy slopes, and there were a few ‘flyby’ individuals. We drove on to cross the river Douro at Barca D’Alva, and a short distance further we turned off to travel up the gorge of Calcada de Alpajares. We drove to the top of the valley where we parked and undertook the walking route that led back down towards the Douro. A fine start was had with the sighting of a pair of Golden Eagles soaring above us, mixed in with the local Griffon Vultures. The walk initially dropped down to the small river, which at this time of year was reduced to isolated pools. These pools held numerous Iberian Water Frogs and a few Spanish Terrapins. From here the path climbed slowly before beginning its decent to one of our tour vehicles. The old mule pack trail passed through some lovely scenery to cross the river a second time lower down. Here, in the water, a couple of the highly aquatic Viperine Snakes were seen. As we entered an area of orchards we began to encounter good numbers of Bee-eaters and a couple of Hawfinches. Once the group had all gathered back at the vehicles, we drove on along the Douro and took another side road, which climbed steeply up to the cliffs above. We eventually arrived at a spectacular high viewpoint where we had our lunch followed by some time spent enjoying the view and watching the Griffon Vultures drift by. We were then lucky with the sighting of a Black Stork that passed nearby. With the temperatures rising we made our way back to the hotel in good time to relax and swim before our dinner. Day 3 Friday 24th July We began with an early start to make best use of the cooler early morning. Our first stop was in an area of cereal crops where we found a large mixed flock of Spanish Sparrows and Corn Buntings in the open grassy ground. On the dusty trackside a young Spiny-footed Lizard was found. © Naturetrek September 15 1 Wild Portugal: Birds, Alpine Flora & Prehistoric Art Tour Report From here we continued to our main destination of the day; a visit to the Faia Brava Reserve. The rough rocky tracks that led through the reserve were quite an adventure in themselves, but we made a number of stops and walks during our visit. The first stop was opposite the vulture feeding station where we sat in the shade to wait once the meat and scraps had been deposited in the ‘arena’. The local vultures began to assemble almost immediately and it was not long before birds began to settle in the ringside trees. Among the many Griffon Vultures were a couple of the much scarcer Egyptian Vultures, which joined the throng. This species is the main reason for the feeding station as they are a declining species throughout Europe. Once the main vulture feeding had subsided and birds had begun to drift away, a cheeky local Red Fox was then observed sneaking in to gather bones and got out under the fence to stash them elsewhere! With our appetites suitably stimulated we moved a short distance to our own picnic lunch, taken in the reserve’s simple visitor area. After a leisurely meal we drove on once more. Another walk was taken towards a rocky overhang that holds one of the only Palaeolithic rock paintings in the Coa Valley. A few of the group were lucky in sighting the bull of the introduced and free ranging Maronesa Cattle that are such an important part of the ‘Rewilding’ project that is being carried out on the reserve. For such a large animal it soon vanished from sight into the scrubby hillside vegetation. Our walk was soon curtailed when we sighted a couple of the very rare White-rumped Swifts that were still actively visiting their nest site directly above the paintings! Enjoying excellent views of these striking birds was ample compensation for being unable to visit the paintings. A distant perched Bonelli’s Eagle was another great sighting, joined by a flyover Short-toed Snake Eagle. Returning to the vehicles, a small group of the other introduced herbivore, the Garrano Horses, were sighted approaching us along the track. These proved rather more amenable and less concerned by our presence than the Maronesa bull and came close by allowing a prolonged view. Next we left the reserve and stopped at a bridge crossing the Coa River where we enjoyed the scenery and spotted a couple of Subalpine Warblers in the scrub. We then returned to the hotel for an earlier dinner before venturing out for a highlight excursion; an evening visit to the rock art engravings for which the Coa valley has been designated a World Heritage Site. This was a wonderful experience as we set out in the gathering dusk to arrive in the dark at the river valley. We had a guided explanation and demonstration via torchlight of these amazing images carved onto the rocks by our early ancestors. The quiet peaceful setting and truly dark skies allowing a rare opportunity to see the Milky Way and other stars, which added to a memorable experience. Day 4 Saturday 25th July After our previous long day we had a more leisurely start, and we undertook the transfer from the hot river valleys and lowlands to the high peaks of the Serra de Estrela. We began with a morning stop in the historic fortified town of Almeida. Here we spent a couple of hours exploring the town’s buildings, military moats and fortifications before continuing our journey. This passed through some stunning parkland ‘Montado’ habitat. Our constant vigilance and scanning failed to spot the hoped for Black-winged Kite but did produce numerous shrikes and Bee-eaters on the wires. Our route led to the tranquil waterside picnic site at Aldeia da Porte. We stopped here for lunch before continuing to our destination; the Serra de Estrela. We passed through the main town of Manteigas and then climbed steeply up to our hotel at Penhas Douradas. 2 © Naturetrek Wild Portugal: Birds, Alpine Flora & Prehistoric Art Tour Report Day 5 Sunday 26th July We began our exploration of the Serra de Estrela National Park with a walk through the heavily forested lower levels. Our route followed a quiet forest road that led to the popular beauty spot of the Poca do Inferno; a waterfall within a narrow forest gorge. Numerous butterflies were seen along the walk of a diverse mix of species. Several territorial Cardinal Fritillaries were seen guarding their patch of sunlight on the roadside glades, periodically flying out to deter rival males. One of the commonest species was Rock Graylings, which were similarly guarding their territories from their perches on roadside rocks. A highlight was the sighting of a splendid Striped Grayling which settled in the middle of the road, allowing a close view of its characteristic and strikingly marked underside. At a couple of sunlit bramble patches further species were found nectaring on the remaining flowers including Silver-washed, Niobe and Queen of Spain Fritillaries. We were able to pick up a few of the characteristic woodland birds such as Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Firecrest and Crested Tit. The couple of singing Western Bonelli’s Warblers proved tricky to pick out among the thick overhead foliage but were spotted by most with a little patience. Peering into a roadside puddle for frogs we disturbed a Fire Salamander that quickly swam under the thick leaf litter and out of sight. Of botanical interest, a few of the attractive Linaria triornithophora were found still in flower, followed by Malva tournefortiana, and Hypericum linariifolium and undulatum. The highlights were the abundant endemic Centaurea rothmalerana found in several places along the route. Reaching the waterfall it was found to be only a trickle at this time but remained an attractive spot. We utilised the pleasant picnic tables for our lunch before spending a little time examining the flora of the slopes above.